WESTERN OPEN. INSIDE THE WESTERN OPEN.

Cog Hill Leaves 'em Singing Back-9 Blues

Granted, Steve Stricker played solid golf for the third straight round. But another reason why he'll carry a five-stroke lead into Sunday's final round of the Motorola Western Open is because the back nine at Cog Hill's Dubsdread wilted his pursuers.

Co-second-round leader Jay Don Blake faded to a 1-over-par 73 with a 39 on the back side, including a bogey at No. 12 and a double bogey at 13. Wayne Grady, John Huston and Craig Parry each hit 10 under at one point, only to fall back. Justin Leonard also double-bogeyed No. 13.

"I think the holes on the back side are a little longer and have some good par-3s," said Blake, who had to take a drop from a hazard on the par-4 13th. "The greens were firmer today, and I had a round where it kind of got away from me."

Grady scorched the front side in 4-under 32 and reached 10 under for the tournament with a birdie on the par-3 14th. But he finished bogey, double-bogey to drop to 7 under.

"Steve played great, but really, nobody else made a big move," said Lee Janzen, in second place at 10 under. "When the greens are hard, you can't just fire at the pin and good shots don't get as close."

"It got a hold of me on 16 and 17," said Parry, who bogeyed both. "The golf course was playing extremely fast. I wish we played more courses like it."

Sharp shooters: For the tournament, 153 of the 237 rounds--65.5 percent--have been under par. The aggregate score for the field is 95 under, with only five players shooting over par.

Aussies at home: For Parry, Grady and Stuart Appleby, home is thousands of miles away. But playing a course like Dubsdread is enough to make the native Australians a little homesick.

"This course is very similar to what we play in Australia," Parry said. "And for (us) to still be on the leaderboard epitomizes the way we do it back home."

Parry's 33 on the front nine allowed him to move to 208, tying him for fourth. Grady stands right behind him, despite a double-bogey on 18, at 209. Appleby is next in line at 210.

"This is just like the Melbourne courses, where you've got to hit the right spot and you've got to be under the hole. That's typical of a Melbourne course. It's all right there in front of you."

Hang on, Sluman: Hinsdale's Jeff Sluman stumbled away from the pack Saturday, firing a 35-37-72. That dropped him from the top-10 contenders to a group of seven at 7-under 209.

"As far as hitting any bad shots, I didn't think I played that bad tee to green," Sluman said. "It was putting I had trouble with."

Beck's day: Chip Beck, who has had his fair share of ups and downs during his career, ended the round at 2-under 214 after shooting a 72. Beck, while pleased with his performance, hopes things turn out better Sunday.

"I played better than I scored, which is unfortunate," Beck said. "I'm encouraged by my play, but I'm looking forward to the next round."

Nick sticks around: Masters champion Nick Faldo missed the cut, but as of Saturday morning he hadn't left town. As the third round unfolded nearby, Faldo was spotted on the back putting green at Cog Hill, working on his short game with caddie Fanny Sunesson. On Wednesday, Faldo had said he planned to fly home to England Sunday night, practice for a few days in midweek and then leave the following Sunday for Royal Lytham and St. Annes, site of the July 18-21 British Open.